Wire fabric.



JOHN HANCOCK, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

VJIRE FABRIC.

asraeco.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Continuation in part of application Serial No. 186,092, filed August 14. 1917. This application filed April 3,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN HANCOCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a. certain new and useful WV ire Fabric, of which the following is a specification. I The present application is filed as a continuation in' part of application filed August 14, 1917, Serial No. 186,092, and relates to wire fabric for use in connection with spring mattresses. Some of theobjects of this invention are 'to provide a faln-ioformed. of a plurality of interconnected units; which are so constructed and arranged as to form a fiat even surface to support a mattress or the like; to provide a fabric of elastic nature which will not sag or stretch out of shape in use: to provide a fabric the units of which are ach formed of a plurality of loops one formed as a continuation of the other; and to provide a fabric with interlocked removable units wherein a unit section can be readily disconnected for repair or replacement.

In the accompanyingdrawing Figure Lrepresents a plan of a portion of a fabric embodying this invention; Fig. 2. represents a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 representsa portion of one of the unit sections.

Referring to the drawings a portion of,

the fabric supporting frame is shown in the transverse angle bar 10-and side .bar 11 to the former of which the fabric is attached by the usual springs 12. It will be understood that the frame is of the customary rectangular form with the fabric suspended between the transverse angle bars while these latter are braced by the side bars.

The fabric of the present invention is formed of a plurality of unit sections 13, each section consisting of a wire bent to form a number of large loops 14 lying in the same plane and having sides 15 of equal length which converge toward the open part of the loop where each is reversely bent and merges into the next adjacent reversely bent portion of the side of the next large loop. Thus'the main loop wire continues frompne large loop to the next in the form of double hooks 16 and 17 connected by awell-rounded bridge part 18. The sides 15 of two adjacent loops 14 are spaced relatively close together so that the length of a unit section Serial No. 226,415.

is made up of alternate wide and narrow loop parts, the former being connected by a bridge piece 20, and the latter by the double hook bridge piece 18. Each end. of the bridge piece 20 is joined to the respective sides 15 of the unit loop by substantially U- shaped offsets 19, which are located entirely within the complete length of the transverse connecting bridge piece 20, so that the sides 15 are left straight throughout their length in order to resist tensional strain without stretching. Furthermore the provision of the offsets 1E) prevents lateral spreading of the section loops in assembled condition, since each off- ,set 19 forms a seat to receive one of the hook section are respectively revcrsely bent and arranged to lie in the same plane as the section loops but relatively close to the last loop and substantially parallel to the side franie bars 11 thus not only giving a finished selvage but reinforcing the structure. in order to retain these ends 21 fixed as an op .erative part of the fabric, a hook 2). is

formed by bending the wire in the desired manner and in the same direction as the bend of the double hooks 16 and 17.

To assemble the unit sections, one section is placed partially over another and the several double hook loops of the upper section inserted between and pushed through the respective openings between the sides 15 of adjacent large loops. The lower section is then moved in a direction to bring its double hooks 16 and 17 into hooked relation with the offsets 19 of two adjacent large loop bridge pieces 20, thus interconnecting the two sections and since the hook 16 engages one offset 19 and the hook 17 the next adjacent offset 19,11 straight line tension is maintained through the alined hooks and loop sides. In addition the bridge piece 18 between the double hooks prevents lateral spreading or opening up of the different loops which action is further prevented by the seating of the hooks in the offsets 19.

In the assembled condition, it will be noted that the hooks 16 and 17 are all disposed on the bottom of the fabric thereby providing an upper supporting surface free from hooks, joints or sharp ends which in the ordinary fabric are destructive to the mattress or catch in and tear the bed covering.

Any suitable means may be employed for securing the fabric to the springs of the main frame, and in the present instance a transverse rod 23 having looped ends is inserted within the hooks of the end unit sections and to these rods the springs 12 are secured in a well-known manner.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumer ated as desirable in the statement of the in vention and the above description; and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification invarious particulars without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claimis: 4

1. A metal fabric for mattresses compris- .ing a plurality of elongated unit sections,

each section consisting of a unitary structure forming wide loops at one edge and hooks at the opposite edge, said loops and hooks alternating throughout the length of the section, the sides of adjacent pairs of wide loops diverging toward and merging into said hooks and the opposite ends of said sides being in close proximity, said hooks each being adapted to interengage with a pair of wide loops at the point of close proximity, whereby all of said sections are united to form a complete fabric.

2. A metal fabric for mattresses comprising a plurality of elongated unit sections, each section consistin of a unitary structure forming a plura ity of wide loops at one edge and double hooks at the opposite edge, said wide loops respectively having transverse bridge pieces provided with pairs of offsets located entirely within the length of said bridge pieces, said hooks being each adapted to interengage with a pair of offsets whereby all of said sections are united and lateral spreading prevented.

3. A metal fabric for mattresses comprising a plurality of relatively long narrow unit sections, each section consisting of a unitary structure bent to form a plurality of loops located side by side, hooks respectively interconnecting adjacent parts of said loops, a bridge piece for each loop forming with the loop sides offsets projecting toward the next section, said hooks each interengaging with an offset of one loopand an offset of the abutting loop, whereby in assembled condition said sections are united and lateral'displacement of the hook parts prevented. In testimony signed my name.

JOHN HANoock.

whereof I have hereunto 

